From Small Wars Journal, an essay on Sisyphus and Counterinsurgency. Counterinsurgency in Iraq and Afghanistan: An interview with John Nagl. "Local wars ahead:" An interview with former soldier and journalist Arkady Babchenko on the Russian military action in South Ossetia and Georgia. A look at how ethnic fragmentation undermines good governance. From Strange Maps, an article on Transnistria, a Soviet fly in geopolitical amber. Coming in from the cold: Why UN membership is needed for the phantom republics. A review of Clearing a Space: Reflections on India, Literature and Culture by Amit Chaudhuri. The worldwide popularity of yoga proves that globalization is flowing in every direction, and has been for a while. The Rise of the Numerati: With the explosion of data from the Internet, cell phones, and credit cards, the people who can make sense of it all are changing our world (and more). From TED, Steven Pinker on innate traits and the blank slate; and Eve Ensler explores our modern craving for security — and why it makes us less secure. A review of Unmaking the Public University: The Forty-Year Assault on the Middle Class by Christopher Newfield. Amid worries about examining practices, Times Higher Education asked ten academics to mark a first-year paper; verdicts ranged from zero to a 2:1, but the markers identified an inherent consensus (and more).
